Garbage Disposal Tips
Hello to all!
Rebecca here. I want to have an honest talk with you about garbage disposals.
From a purely plumbing standpoint, garbage disposals are one of the worst things you can do to your pipes. Imagine this: your water lines are like the arteries in your body. They carry the clean fresh water to your sink, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc. Your drain lines then are like the veins of your body, carrying away the waste. In your kitchen sink, there will inevitably be some grease and food particles washed down the drain. If you have a garbage disposal, you introduce ground up food particles to this mix of “stuff” washing down your drains. This, over time, causes an arteriosclerosis of sorts of your drains where grease and starch cause the food particles to stick, then cements over the particles with another sticky layer of grease and starch, which causes another layer of food particles to stick, and so on. The diameter of your pipe shrinks as the layers accumulate, causing stoppages. Eventually, the cement paste of grease, starch, and food particles grows to such a degree that it collapses on itself when drain cleaning machines are used, and the entire pipe must be replaced.
So what can I do to maintain healthy pipes, you ask? The best option is to pour all cooking grease into an empty lidded can (like an empty coffee can) to toss in the garbage when it gets full. Then, you start a compost pile in your backyard and put all those chopped veggies, used coffee grounds, and egg shells into it (no meat products, though!). Good for your garden, the environment, and your drain lines.
If you absolutely insist on keeping your garbage disposal, then follow these rules: NEVER put excessively fibrous or starchy materials such as celery, potato skins, or rice into your disposal. Always use cool water to rinse your disposal. Occasionally, grind up eggshells or a little ice to clean the sticky debris from inside your disposal, this will make it smell better as well.
If your disposal mysteriously stops working, try these tricks before you call a plumber: If you turn on your disposal switch and there is NO sound at all, try pressing the red reset button on the bottom of your unit. If you turn on the disposal and it makes a humming noise but will not grind, turn it back off and use the hex key provided with the unit (or the proper size hex wrench if you have a set) to manually turn the cutting blades. If there is an obstruction, this should clear it. If neither of these tricks work, and your machine still will not work, consider changing the unit yourself.
Insinkerator Badger 5 has a great reputation as a decent disposal, or look at any top rated unit from Consumer Reports. There are detailed directions in the box, if you dare attempt the swap yourself. Otherwise, sorry, but it is time to call in a professional plumber.